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It’s o-fish-al: Hurricane-torn restaurant Crabby Joe’s reopens

Part of Sunglow Pier was washed away by 2022 storm

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. – Nearly two years ago, part of an iconic pier in Daytona Beach Shores was damaged by Category 4 Hurricane Ian.

Part of what made Sunglow Pier iconic is the restaurant that sat atop of it, Crabby Joe’s.

The restaurant announced on Sep. 28, 2022, that it and the pier were to be shut until further notice due to the damage from the hurricane.

On Friday, it shared that it has finished construction, and the restaurant reopened on Tuesday.

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News 6 watched as workers arrived Saturday morning to train and get ready to reopen. Meanwhile, it will still have the same old Crabby vibes and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, per its website.

Crabby Joe's, as seen on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

“The only thing we’re looking to improve is consistency of our food, and seeing just how hospitable we can be. Keep it local, keep it simple,” a spokesperson for the eatery said in a prepared statement. “There was an astounding and resonating amount of want for Crabby to not change, and we’re all about it.”

The menu features mostly seafood, serving items such as calamari, coconut shrimp, clam strips and a fish Reuben with a key lime remoulade. For breakfast, it will serve the classics like shrimp and grits and hotcakes.

However, the pier itself will be different, as it will be about half the length it used to be. The team said it does have plans to rebuild the fishing pier in the future. It will still be wooden, as the team behind the restaurant notes the price difference between concrete and wood materials.

“For reference, Flagler Beach is redoing their pier (with funding from the state) to the tune of $14 million (and the budget keeps increasing). It’s an 18-month project. That just wasn’t something we could chew off in the midst of rebuilding seawalls, running all new utilities,” a spokesperson for Crabby Joe’s said in a prepared statement.

Rebuilding the seawall was an obstacle. Six months after Ian tore through the state, Crabby Joe’s was still waiting for state approval to begin construction.

A News 6 investigation revealed the delay was because of seawall rebuilding permit applications, with that of Crabby Joe’s and more than half of the applicants in Volusia County kicked back and marked incomplete.

News 6 helped the Crabby Joe’s team connect with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to walk through the documents they still needed to complete the sea wall permits. In June 2023, the seawall repairs began and were completed two months later, the restaurant shared in a social media post.

“Now that our seawall is in, we’re finally able to access the pier with equipment and get to work. However, we’ve still got a bunch of work ahead of us,” the post states.

Crabby Joe’s then continued to share its updates on construction throughout the past year. On Aug. 4, it said via a social media post that the end of construction was in sight and that it had scheduled all final inspections.

“We’re super pumped to get back open. We’ll undoubtedly be slammed busy, so be prepared to come and enjoy a cold drink while you wait,” the post reads.

The restaurant will operate daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“It’s great to be back. It’s great to have our team back. It’s great to see all of our customers back and our regulars,” Manager Nicole Devane said. “It took a lot. Hurricanes Ian and Nicole did a lot of damage to the plumbing, to the structure, to the seawalls. It’s a beautiful place. We love it here, and it’s great to see everybody.”

Click here to check out its menu.


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